Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:XSummary
CVE-2026-32051 is a high-severity Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863) vulnerability in Openclaw Openclaw. Its CVSS base score is 8.7 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 34th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-24 (Access Control Decisions) and AC-3 (Access Enforcement) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-32051, published on 2026-03-21, is an authorization mismatch vulnerability (CWE-863) in OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.1. The flaw stems from inconsistent owner-only gating during agent execution in scoped-token deployments, enabling authenticated callers with operator.write scope to invoke owner-only tool surfaces, including gateway and cron.
Attackers require only low privileges (operator.write scope) to exploit this remotely over the network with low attack complexity and no user interaction. Exploitation allows performing control-plane actions beyond the attacker's intended authorization level, leading to high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as reflected in its CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
Mitigation details are available in advisories such as the GitHub Security Advisory at https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-jr6x-2q95-fh2g and the VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-authorization-bypass-in-agent-runs-via-owner-only-tool-access. The vulnerability is addressed in OpenClaw version 2026.3.1 and later.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-13949
Vulnerability Data
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.1 contain an authorization mismatch vulnerability that allows authenticated callers with operator.write scope to invoke owner-only tool surfaces including gateway and cron through agent runs in scoped-token deployments. Attackers with write-scope access can perform control-plane actions…
more
beyond their intended authorization level by exploiting inconsistent owner-only gating during agent execution.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Authorization bypass (CWE-863) from operator.write to owner-only surfaces directly enables privilege escalation via exploitation (T1068) and unauthorized access to cron tool surfaces for scheduled task abuse (T1053.003).
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly enforces approved authorizations for access to system resources, addressing the inconsistent owner-only gating during agent execution that allowed operator.write scope to invoke privileged tool surfaces.
Employs least privilege principle to restrict users to only authorized functions, preventing operator.write scoped callers from performing owner-only control-plane actions.
Ensures access control decisions are made and enforced based on user scopes and attributes, mitigating the authorization mismatch in scoped-token deployments during agent runs.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Defining, enforcing, and reviewing access authorizations and least privilege directly prevents incorrect authorization checks.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Requiring consistency between access rights and classification plus formal approval steps ensures that the authorization logic correctly distinguishes between entities that should and should not be granted access.
Enforcing policy-driven approval and role-change reviews stops incorrect or stale authorization decisions from remaining in effect after job changes or terminations.
By tying access rights to identity, device, location and classification, the control reduces the likelihood that an authorization decision will be based on an incorrect or bypassed policy.